A Beautiful Mind
by Sylvia Nasar
★ Top 25 book of 1998 · #15 on Best Books of 1998
This is the account of mathematical genius John Forbes Nash, Jr., who broke down at thirty-one and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Three decades later, his illness went into remission.
Best for: Readers curious about brilliant minds and mental illness in a real life
A Beautiful Mind is #15 on BookWard's Best Books of 1998, out of 36 1998 books that cleared our data bar.
What A Beautiful Mind is about
Sylvia Nasar's biography follows John Nash, the Nobel Prize-winning economist and mathematician. It traces his ambition and his gift for mathematics, then follows what happened when, at thirty-one, he suffered a breakdown and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. It also looks at the long road toward recovery, with a remission arriving three decades later. The tone is compassionate and thorough. Note that it was written without Nash's authorization, and some critics have pointed to factual errors and a heavy reliance on interview sources.
A Beautiful Mind on the Best Books of 1998
A Beautiful Mind came out in 1998. Of the 36 books first published in 1998 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #15 on our Best Books of 1998 list.
Why it made the list: 235 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.3 out of 5 (12 ratings). The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 1998 list
- The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver, #13
- Working with Emotional Intelligence Daniel Goleman, #14
- Change Your Brain, Change Your Life Daniel G. Amen, #16
- Cows Matthew Stokoe, #17
See all Best Books of 1998 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 1997 Best Books of 1999.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 204 want to read it, 14 are reading it now and 17 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 3.3 out of 5 from 12 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 53 | 55% |
| Reader love | 8 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 58 | 20% |
Questions about A Beautiful Mind
When was A Beautiful Mind published?
A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar was first published in 1998.
Was A Beautiful Mind one of the best books of 1998?
A Beautiful Mind is #15 on BookWard's Best Books of 1998, out of 36 1998 books that cleared our data bar. 235 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.3 out of 5 (12 ratings).
Why is A Beautiful Mind on the Best Books of 1998 list?
235 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.3 out of 5 (12 ratings).
More of the best books of 1998
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets J. K. Rowling, #1
- Holes Louis Sachar, #2
- A Clash of Kings George R. R. Martin, #3
- Bag of Bones Stephen King, #4
- Among the Hidden Margaret Peterson Haddix, #5
- Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson, #6
See the full Best Books of 1998, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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